Assistance for Consumers Affected by COVID-19
Always be on the look out for potential scams, especially during times of crisis. Learn how to recognize phishing scams with these tips from:
How to protect yourself and what to do if you are sick:
Scammers are using the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) name to deceive small businesses and individuals during the COVID-19 crisis through phone calls, emails, text messages and letters.
Please note:
- If you are contacted by someone claiming to be from the SBA, suspect fraud.
- Emails from SBA or other legitimate government agencies will always end in .gov.
- There is no cost to apply for a COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan and SBA will never ask you to provide a credit card.
- Do not release any private information (social security number, date of birth, etc.) or banking information in response to an unsolicited caller, letter, email, or text.
- If you are in the process of applying for an SBA loan and receive email correspondence, ensure that the referenced application number is consistent with your application number.
- An SBA logo on an email or web page does not guarantee the information is accurate or from the SBA.
- Check for spelling and grammatical errors in an email and be wary of clicking on any links or attachments.
- Trust your instincts! If something seems too good to be true, then it probably is too good to be true.
